Where to start with Doug Seegers? There’s his backstory: often homeless, the 62-year-old singer landed a record deal in Sweden in roundabout fashion, after a Swedish country singer heard Seegers singing at a food pantry in Nashville. Then there’s his voice, a weathered instrument that sounds as robust as it does lived-in on his haunting version of Gram Parsons’“She,” which premieres today on Speakeasy.

Emmylou Harris, Parsons’ duet partner in the early ’70s, was impressed enough with Seegers to contribute vocals to the track, from Seegers’ upcoming debut, “Going Down to the River.” Harris says in press notes that she was “stunned” when she first heard Seegers sing. “This man has lived these songs, not in his imagination but every long day over many hard years,” Harris said.

Seegers, a Long Island native, has drifted around the country over the years, playing music in New York and Austin, Tex., before moving to upstate New York, where he got married and raised two children. Eventually, Seegers made his way alone to Nashville, where he played on the street and battled the temptations of drugs and alcohol. He says he got clean, and became a regular at The Little Pantry That Could, a West Nashville charity that holds regular songwriter nights. That’s where the Swedish singer Jill Johnson heard Seegers sing, when she was in town making a documentary about hard-luck musicians, which led soon enough to a record deal in Sweden.

Will Kimbrough produced “Going Down to the River,” which also includes contributions from Buddy Miller, a friend of Seegers’ from his Austin days who reconnected with the singer in Nashville. Seegers’ stint in Austin was also around the time when he discovered Parsons’ music, and Seegers says including “She” on his album is a tribute to “one of my biggest influences.”

“When Emmlyou called me and told me she loved what I was doing and that she was going to do her best to sing on my music, I broke down and started crying,” Seegers says.

“Going Down to the River” is due Oct. 7 in the U.S. on Rounder Records. What do you think of Seegers’ version of “She?” Leave your thoughts in the comments.

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.